St. Paul's United Methodist ChurchDa Lay Speak!
MARCH, 2010
Hola y bienvenido to our “Spring is almost Springing” edition….a Roster update……..and whatever else……
Da Roster
First, kudos to Mary and Colleen for pounding the pulpit during Padre Pat’s continuing pastoral education in February. Our Padre and a few others will journey to Bayou Country in Louisiana this month and help our brothers and sisters over there rebuild. Linda and Bill will fill in during the Sundays they are away. Updated Roster attached; more about that below.
Training Opportunities
Delta District (Sacramento Area):
March 20: Hermeneutics (the study of the methodological principles of
Bible interpretation). 9a-4p UM Conference Center, 1276 Halyard Drive,
W. Sacramento. Fee $25. Registration deadline 3/16/10.
Pre-Registration is required for all classes. Some classes require
homework prep before attending. Contact
Delta District, Attention Cindy Buna, deltadist@calnevumc.org. Cost
includes materials, books, refreshments and lunch.
Nevada-Sierra District (that’s ours):
March 6: District Training Day, Robert Schnase Workshop, South Reno
UMC
Have you completed at least one class within the past 3-years to retain
your certification?
Segue on Storytelling
Continuing what I started about this last month. Storytelling as an art form is experiencing a revival throughout the world. Within storytelling, people are reconnecting to their cultures and the face-to-face intimacy of sharing stories. In an age of mass communication, storytelling, simply put, reconnects us with each other. It has been, and still is, a way to connect people to people, and people to God.
The role of the storyteller is to be much more than an entertainer of children. In most cultures, the storyteller holds a position of prominence and esteem. The techniques with which you use will be valuable in every aspect of your life. The process of storytelling is a remarkable gift. Throughout your lifetime, as a storyteller, you will acquire better observation and listening skills, a stronger ability to share your thoughts in the most effective manner, the ability to see people in terms of relationship, and an understanding of communication from the perspective of your audience. You will also begin to recognize stories in the world around you, finding illustration value in simple things, and develop a sense of personal integrity in regard to what you share through story and how you choose to live.
(Continued)
Old Business
I want to thank all of you for responding to my earlier E-mail regarding working with me on short-notice situations to fill in for Padre Pat. If you’ll look at the attached Roster, you’ll see a new column on the right hand side titled “Short Notice Days”. This is the minimum amount of time in days each of us has indicated that we can answer the “call” and prepare to pound the pulpit the following Sunday. However…….unlike the normal process when we have the luxury of a month plus notice of Pat’s absence…..I can’t use the “2-day” rule of your responding back to me (for obvious reasons). My plan is to do what I call the “scatter gun” approach: I (or Susan or Mike) will start with the next unscheduled Speaker on the Roster and call each one until I make contact with someone. If one answers the phone, then they are “it”; or if I leave messages, the first one to call me back within that day is “it”. If no one calls back that day, then I’ll plan on pinch-hitting. If anyone has a better way for handling this, I’m all ears. If this doesn’t work, then we’ll “tweak” it. Please work with me on this should the situation arise, and thanks again being willing to share this responsibility with me.
The Lord’s Laughter (from the Joyful Noiseletter)
Out of the mouths of God’s kids:
“Angels have a lot to do and they keep very busy. If you lose a tooth,
an angel comes in through your window and leaves money under your
pillow. Then when it gets cold, angels go north for the winter.” -
Sarah, 6.
“My guardian angel helps me with math, but he’s not much good for
science.” - Harry, 7
“Angels don’t eat, but they do drink milk from Holy Cows”. - Jerri, 5